A unique career opportunity for a Pediatric Dentist in beautifulOlympia, Washington

Practice history

Dr. Greg Psaltis has been in private pediatric practice in Olympia, Washington
since 1981 and now is seeking a new partner in his thriving office. The practice
has been configured in a partnership since 1993, but due to health issues,
his long-standing partner has been forced to retire from the practice. Over
the 12 years of their partnership, Dr. Psaltis and his former partner have
built a very highly committed and delegated Team that is supportive of the
practice’s philosophy of educating the patients and parents through hands-on
demonstrations of home care and the use of digital radiography to enable all
participants to more fully see and understand what is happening in the developing
dentition.

Historically Dr. Psaltis and his partner have shared the practice, which
has meant that they have worked alternating weeks. In this way, both doctors
have been able to earn a substantial income while still being able to pursue
their other life interests. Because of Team meetings, GA cases (which are
done in-house) and office retreats, each doctor worked more than 50% of the
time, but for practical purposes, they have had the opportunity to live their
own dreams by balancing their clinical time with their personal time.

Creating Balance/Living Your Dream

Dr. Psaltis has used his free time to develop a second career as a national
and international speaker on the dental continuing education circuit, participate
(and help develop) volunteer dental programs in Mexico, coach his two sons’
baseball teams, play the violin with one of this sons, study Spanish and stay
on a regular work out program to remain physically fit. He also leads a Mutual
Aid group, has written several articles for Dental Economics magazine, served
on committees with the Washington State Dental Association and sat on the
Council of Trustees in his church. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, co-wrote,
sponsor and lead a weekend Couples Retreat for relationship enrichment. It
is not church sponsored or based, and is not intended to fix marriages that
are broken or in trouble—it a weekend away from the routines at home that
is spent with other like-minded couples. Dr. Psaltis also took a five month
sabbatical from his practice to live in Salzburg, Austria with his wife and
(then) 10 year old son.You can also have
the unique chance to create this sort of balance in your life so that you
may pursue your own interests while earning a substantial income.

Olympia and Washington

Olympia is the state capital of Washington so that much of its economy is
based on state government and the service businesses that support the state
employees. There is minimal “industry” in Olympia, although there remains
some timber (mills, exportation of timber, etc), the port of Olympia and some
smaller businesses. The crime rate is low, the schools remain good, including
several private school options, both religious and non-religious. It is a wonderful place to raise a family.

The city has grown considerably in every sense of the word—it now has
many ethnic restaurants, two local high-quality theater groups, a world class
performing arts center that attracts many performers, including “name” acts
and, of course, as many espresso bars as you could ever want. The city center
has been revitalized to create an active area for

both shopping, dining and entertainment. Children’s activities include
a Children’s Museum, several parks ranging from salt-water activities to
skate-boarding, an active children’s park program with summer classes ranging
from cooking to sports.

Washington State is an outdoor person’s delight. Olympia is located on
the southernmost tip of Puget Sound and has several marinas for sail boat
enthusiasts. From Olympia you can reach the Pacific Ocean for deep sea fishing
in just over an hour, or, in the other direction, you can be at major ski
resorts in the Cascade Mountain range. Among the many activities that Northwesterners
enjoy are camping, backpacking,

hiking, white-water rafting, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking and
biking. Olympia has several bike trails all around the area for safe, attractive
places to go for a ride, including with your children.

Olympia is 60 miles from Seattle, which has all the amenities that a big
city can offer—professional sports, the arts, ethnic restaurants and all the
other things that only a big city can have. Portland, Oregon is only 110
miles to the south and Vancouver, British Columbia is about 180 miles north.
Each of these cities is easily reached by car.

While housing costs have risen in Olympia as they have everywhere, it is
still more affordable to live in Olympia and own a home that may be a financial
burden elsewhere. Waterfront property is available on salt water, lakes and
some rivers for unique settings. Property with acreage is also available as
some areas are zoned for one house per five acres so that large animal ownership
(such as horses) is possible.

The Plan/Offer

Once a candidate with similar philosophy and practice goals has been
identified, the general plan (depending on the candidate’s experience and
needs) would be as follows:

1. A minimum 6 month (and possibly 12 month) associateship
at a salary level that will avoid pressure on the doctor to produce.
2. This period of time would be full-time (4 days per
week) and would include spending time meeting other local dentists and pediatricians
as part of the job.
3. At the mutually agreed-upon end of the associateship,
the new partner will buy into the practice at a price determined prior to
the onset of the associateship
4. The new work schedule for the doctors will largely
be based on the needs of the new partner. That is, if the new partner prefers
to continue the “50-50” concept, Dr. Psaltis would be open to that. On the
other hand, if the new partner wanted or needed more time, then the schedule
could be customized to create the schedule that meets the needs of all involved.
5. At this time Dr. Psaltis is planning to be actively
involved with the practice at least up through the graduation of his youngest
child from high school, which will occur in June, 2011.